Keio Flying Squadron 2

Keio Flying Squadron 2 (慶応遊撃隊活劇編) is a 1996 Japanese video game for the Sega Saturn. Developed by Victor Entertainment, it is a direct sequel to Keio Flying Squadron. While the first game is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up, the second game is a platformer with shooter sections.

Like the first game, the second game refers to Japanese culture, both ancient and modern simultaneously.

Plot
A year has passed since the apocalyptic disaster known as the "Ark Catastrophe", which left a great crater in the center of Edo. The destruction wrought major economic consequences and while much investment was poured into the public works for the new Edo Castle, the citizens were all feeling the pinch of the recession.

Dr. Pon Eho was no exception. Although a freak of nature with an astronomical IQ of 1400, hard reality forced the genius tanuki to become a laborer in the construction of the new castle. One day, while he was shoveling away some gravel near the center of the crater, he unearthed the Secret Treasure Scroll and one of the Six Magical Orbs (called Jewels in the Japanese version). With the knowledge that the six Orbs together would bring him an enormous amount of treasure, he quickly left his job in search of the remaining five Orbs listed on the Scroll's map.

Meanwhile, Himiko Yamatai, "the Pompous Queen of the Ancients", makes a dramatic appearance at the Nanahikari family's dinner table and grabs the family's Magical Orb. But before she can get away, Dr. Pon ambushes her and steals it. Of course, Rami makes chase and joins the race for the great treasure, starting her on her new adventure.

Gameplay
The game mainly consists of side-scrolling platformer stages. Two of the stages retain the shoot-'em-up style of the first game, but the Homing Spot Jrs. can be obtained as bonuses only. Besides the platformer and shoot-'em-up stages, there are vertically scrolling bonus stages, a rollercoaster stage and an underwater stage, classifying the game as a multi-genre platformer.

Several bonuses can be collected including three weapons:
 * Atami - The Hammer of Dreams - A large mallet, used only for hitting enemies.
 * Kinugawa - The Umbrella of Love - An umbrella, used to hit enemies, float and deflect overhead obstacles.
 * Kusatsu - The Arrow of Hope - A bow and arrow set, used to shoot arrows at enemies.

Rami can also bounce on the heads of enemies to defeat them, as well as Kappas to reach higher places. Being damaged without holding an item results in the loss of a life. Background objects can be pick up and thrown at enemies to defeat them. Some background objects can also have a utility use. There are three difficulty levels which alter how many enemies there are to defeat and how quickly weapons disappear after being damaged.

Points Orbs can be collected throughout the game. Defeating some enemies also rewards points, but there are some enemies that are considered passive and will instead deduct points when defeated. A reward system accessed from the main menu unlocks helpful hints and behind-the-scenes extras depending on the highest and lowest scores achieved through playing.

Characters
Japanese names are given in the Western order, given name first.


 * Rami Nanahikari - The grandchild of an ancient family and a descendant of aliens who came to Earth long ago. She wears a bunny suit, the formal attire of a Key Guardian. After her last adventure she was enjoying her life as an ordinary schoolgirl. However, now that she knows about the Secret Treasure, she has decided to join the battle between Dr. Pon and Himiko in search of it. Voiced by Miho Kanno (Japanese); Samantha Paris (English).
 * Spot Nanahikari - The Nanahikari family's pet dragon, who has become like a younger brother to Rami. Because he worked so hard in the first game, he became soporose and now sleeps and nods out whenever he can. In this game, he has a supporting role assisting Rami. Spot is called Pochi in the Japanese release of the game. Voiced by Mika Kanai (Japanese); Samantha Paris (English; cutscenes); Roger L. Jackson (English; gameplay).
 * "Grandma" and "Grandpa" Nanahikari - Rami's natural grandparents who have brought her up to be the next Key Guardian and belong to the Key Guardian Clan, who have been guarding the Key to the Secret Treasure and Magical Orb for generations. Two years ago, when they came to the realization that they no longer look very good in their bunny suits, they decided to resign their posts to Rami and enjoy their retirement. Voiced by Keiko Yamamoto (Japanese; Grandma), Jōji Yanami (Japanese; Grandpa); Roger L. Jackson (English; both).
 * Himiko Yamatai - The Pompous Queen of the Ancients (called the 13th Queen of Yamatai-koku in the Japanese version) and Rami's rival, who is in search of the Secret Treasure along with Rami and Dr. Pon. She believes that the Magical Orbs and the treasure, known as Jofuku's Gold, righteously belong to her since it was the 1st Queen Himiko that hid the treasure as an emergency measure for the day when there would be a need to re-establish Yamatai-koku. To destroy the magical seal of the door to the Secret Treasure, she controls the mysterious psychic-powered vehicles Psi-Vee 1 and 2 (called Tōma and Shima in the Japanese version). Due to her upbringing in poverty, she can be modest in lifestyle, but she is a queen after all, and her pride remains strong. Voiced by Mika Kanai (Japanese); Elaine A. Clarke (English).
 * Dr. Pon Eho - A super intelligent tanuki with an IQ of 1400. He is critical of most humans, but on the other hand loves nature and is an ecologist who belongs to Greenpeace. He loves to buy new products that come on the market, but because he has no economical common sense, he is always broke. He always carries the part-time job section of the magazine. Voiced by Jōji Yanami (Japanese); Roger L. Jackson (English).
 * Kappa - Turtle-like humanoid creatures and a type of suijin from Shinto mythology, who are seen inhabiting the backdrops of the game. Rami can use these creatures as a spring to reach higher places. She can also pick them up and move them. One of the Kappas, named Kaiyan, narrates the introductory scene in the game's promotional video. Voiced by Akiko Hiramatsu (Japanese; Kaiyan).
 * Tanuki - Subordinates who work under Dr. Pon's direct orders. They appear throughout the game trying to intercept Rami's advancement. Voiced by Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese; Fire Tanuki, Fishing Tanuki, Castle Promenade Tanuki); Roger L. Jackson (English; Fire Raccoons, Fishing Raccoons, Castle Promenade Raccoon).
 * Armed Tanuki - Rami can snatch the weapons from their hands and add them to her arsenal. Voiced by Nobuo Tobita (Japanese; Umbrella Tanuki); Roger L. Jackson (English; Umbrella Raccoon).
 * Crane in Hanging Bag - Because he hates the cold weather, this bird lives in a bag made of leaves that hangs from a tree. He occasionally scares those who pass underneath.
 * Nezumi Kozō Tanukichi - A thief who steals money from the rich to give to the poor. By defeating him when he holds a senryō box in his hand, Rami will obtain the box filled with money.
 * Mini-Whaling Boat - A high performance 2-person whaling boat capable of catching the largest type of whale. The harpoon gun which shoots from the head of the boat is extremely powerful.
 * Mr. Piggy - Dr. Pon's marine reserve, who usually works as a houseboat captain.
 * Musashi Sakaimari - The Ryōgoku Kokugikan's Daruma doll mascot, possessed by the spirit of the legendary sumo champion Raiden Tameemon. His muscular power has no rival. He always dreamed of setting foot in the wrestling arena, but was never given the chance due to his "lack of human spirit". Dr. Pon got him to be a subordinate by promising him the chance to become a genuine wrestler one day. Voiced by Dai Sasahara (Japanese; speaking), Tsukasa Tawada (Japanese; burping and vomiting); Roger L. Jackson (English).
 * Tekkannon (+150 ml) - An armed chahakobi ningyō machine and an improved version of Tekkannon from the first game, built and operated by Dr. Pon. If it takes too much damage, it will become angry and transform into a super chahakobi ningyō. It can carry 360 liters of tea (for about 2,000 people) at a time, so it receives many inquiries, mainly from the employees of cafeterias owned by large companies. Tekkannon is called the Toxic Waste Disposer in the English version of the game. Voiced by Wataru Takagi (Japanese); Toby Gleason (English).
 * Frog Tanuki - Tanuki who swim in the Aquarium at the Amusement Park, wearing red G-strings with a long tail to protect themselves from sharks.
 * Kurobei the Octopus - An octopus in the Aquarium, who waves his tentacles around to attack Rami. Voiced by Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese); Don Robins (English).
 * Menreiki - A yōkai composed of three Noh masks (Hannya, Otafuku and Hyottoko), and a type of tsukumogami. He earns money by working part-time at the Haunted House at the Amusement Park in order to go to Easter Island and see the Moai statues. The masks are named the Three Funny Faces in the English version of the game. Voiced by Dai Sasahara (Japanese; Hannya), Keiko Yamamoto (Japanese; Otafuku), Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese; Hyottoko); Elaine A. Clark (English; Hannya, Otafuku), Roger L. Jackson (English; Hyottoko).
 * Ninjas - Martial arts fighters who appear in Azuchi Castle, trying to attack Rami with shurikens and metal balls and transforming into Hōgyū Jizō statues. Voiced by Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese); Roger L. Jackson (English).
 * Karakuri Nobunaga and Hiyo-chan - A karakuri version of Oda Nobunaga and the boss and his pet rooster of Azuchi Castle. The castle was originally the main attraction of the theme park "Azuchi Jidaimura" ("Azuchi Historic Village"), which started construction during the bubble era. Construction was assumed to have been stopped due to the Momoyama Company going bankrupt in the aftermath of the "Ark Catastrophe" a year ago, but it was completed before anyone knew it. Karakuri Nobunanga and Hiyo-chan are called Mech-Shogun and Birdie in the English version of the game. Voiced by Nobuo Tobita (Japanese; Nobunanga); Don Robins (English; Mech-Shogun).
 * King UFO - A race hailing from an unknown space region that humans have not yet discovered, with the highest amount of hormone secretion in the universe.
 * Nipper - Victor's dog mascot. He makes a cameo appearance in the Outer Space stage as a Soviet space dog.
 * 3-meter Alien - A Flatwoods monster with a bomb-shaped rocket launcher with human legs and huge mace-hands, first sighted in the small town of Flatwoods in West Virginia in 1952. In Japan, it is nicknamed the "3-meter alien" and has become so popular that even garage kits based on it are being sold (in some quarters). Voiced by Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese); Elaine A. Clark (English).
 * Yoshiko Oroshiya - An idol announcer and interviewer and the host of the Martial Arts Tournament. Voiced by Kae Araki (Japanese); Elaine A. Clark (English).
 * Benkei Musashibō - A campy kabuki fighter and a participant of the Martial Arts Tournament. Voiced by Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese); Toby Gleason (English).
 * Missionary Xavier - A God-fearing Christian Hakata missionary and evangelist and a participant of the Martial Arts Tournament. He is called Cardinal Xavier in the English version of the game. Voiced by Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese); Don Robins (English).
 * Daidarabotchi - A giant, mechanical demon and mythical beast that resides in Mount Fuji. Its legendary feats include creating Mount Fuji in one night, washing its feet in the Tone River while sitting on Mount Haruna, and making huge lakes with its footprints. Depending on the area, it has various other names such as Daidarahō Ōhito and Yagorō Misogorō. Daidarabotchi eats Rami when she enters Mount Fuji, after which she has to make her way out of the beast's stomach (a tower with little elves living in it) and fight its heart, which spits out various Japanese words that Rami can use as platforms. After Daidarabotchi's heart is defeated, it turns out to be a transformed cat. Daidarabotchi is called Apocalypse in the English version of the game. Voiced by Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese; Daidarabotchi), Hikiko Takemasa (Japanese; Cat); Toby Gleason (English; Cat).

Japanese

 * Miho Kanno as Rami Nanahikari
 * Mika Kanai as Pochi Nanahikari and Himiko Yamatai
 * Jōji Yanami as Dr. Pon Eho and Grandpa
 * Keiko Yamamoto as Grandma and Otafuku
 * Kae Araki as Yoshiko Oroshiya
 * Keiji Fujiwara as Fire Tanuki, Fishing Tanuki, Rikishi, Kurobei the Octopus, Hyottoko, Castle Promenade Tanuki, Ninjas, 3-meter Alien, Benkei Musashibō, Missionary Xavier and Daidarabotchi
 * Nobuo Tobita as Umbrella Tanuki and Karakuri Nobunaga
 * Wataru Takagi as Tekkannon
 * Dai Sasahara as Yobidashi, Musashi Sakaimari and Hannya
 * Hikiko Takemasa as Hamster and Cat
 * Tsukasa Tawada as Musashi Sakaimari (burping and vomiting) and Koala
 * Recording Studio: Avaco Creative Studios

English

 * Samantha Paris as Rami Nanahikari, Spot Nanahikari (cutscenes) and Hamster
 * Roger L. Jackson as Spot Nanahikari (gameplay), Dr. Pon Eho, Grandma, Grandpa, Umbrella Raccoon, Fire Raccoons, Fishing Raccoons, Sumo Wrestlers, Musashi Sakaimari, Hyottoko, Castle Promenade Raccoon and Ninjas
 * Elaine A. Clark as Himiko Yamatai, Hannya, Otafuku, 3-meter Alien and Yoshiko Oroshiya
 * Toby Gleason as Toxic Waste Disposer, Benkei Musashibō and Cat
 * Don Robins as Kurobei the Octopus, Mech-Shogun and Cardinal Xavier
 * Recording Studio: Music Annex, San Francisco, CA
 * Translation and Recording: Watanabe-Robins & Associates

Development
After Keio Flying Squadron was released to critical acclaim, the developers started talking about developing a sequel. Production on the game began in 1994 with the title Keiō Yūgekitai 2, with director Yasushi Endo, game designer Satoru Honda, programmer Teruhito Yamaki and composer Tsukasa Tawada getting the basic ideas together. Keio Flying Squadron was Victor Entertainment's next big project, but they had a couple of other Sega Saturn games in development: Metal Fighter Miku and Center Ring Boxing.

The game was going to be a graphically enhanced version of the first game, but was made into its own game with a different story and lots of different features. The action would still be based around a side-scrolling shooting game, but the developers would experiment with using video backgrounds and 3D bonus stages, and most of the items that the player would pick up would be taken from real photographs as well. The specifications for the Saturn had changed a lot at the time, so the developers spent a lot of time testing the console's capabilities. Endo considered the Saturn a wonderful console to work with. The video backgrounds, 3D bonus stages and photographed items would later be dropped around 1995. 3D video games were popular at the time, but the developers chose to stick to 2D. Endo and Yamaki stated that this was because they were not good at 3D, had been planning it for the first game, and considered the idea of turning anime characters into polygon models terrible. However, about half a year after they began planning the game, the developers heard that Sega was planning to release the Saturn in November, so they changed course. However, when the development equipment finally arrived, they could not really use it. Opening and closing the lid took more time than typing on the keyboard. At first, Endo was so preoccupied with learning how to make games on the Saturn that he could not even think about doing 3D polygon graphics, but over time the Saturn and PlayStation started to focus primarily on 3D polygon graphics, which made him angry.

Endo and Honda felt that because the previous game was a shooter, it did not allow the time and luxury to look closely at the characters onscreen, and made it quite difficult to bring out their charm, with Rami Nanahikari being the only character that stood out. Because of this, they decided to go for a genre that would allow for more detailed sprites, movements and expressions. Thus, the game became an action platformer, and its name was later changed to Keiō Yūgekitai: Katsugeki-hen. The game had a different title screen with Rami and Spot that was only used in an early sample build at a Sega trade show in late 1995. Rami was originally going to have sprites that were more in line with her normal anime design, as opposed to the shorter sprites in the final game, and would have also carried a Frog Hammer. The game's art, graphics and stage designs were done by Naomasa Kitatani, Kenji Kawashima, Yoshiyuki Ozaki, Nobuyuki Ikigame, Daisuke Fukuda, Akito Kuroda and Masaru Yokōra, while the character designs were done by Hiromasa Ota. Compared to the first game, Keio Flying Squadron 2's graphics and animation were more polished and fluid. It also made use of sprite scaling, squashing and rotation, digital photography, transparency, shading and 3D elements.

The Sumida River stage was originally going to be a platformer stage, but when Endo was working on parts of the stage where Kusatsu, the Arrow of Hope, was to be used, he got stuck and decided to change it to a shooter stage. Because of this, the bow and arrow set has stationary locations throughout the stage and cannot be obtained. The Martial Arts Tournament was planned to have seven participants, but five of them ended up being scrapped, with only Benkei Musashibō and Missionary Xavier making the final cut. They include:
 * Kojirō Sasaki - A handsome young swordsman who freely wields his 3-1/2-inch long sword Bizen Nagamitsu. However, since Japanese swords are dangerous, he usually carries a drying pole on his back instead of his sword.
 * Kurama-Tengu - An old man whose true identity is the Great Tengu of Mount Kurama, prohibited from television broadcasting. The horse that he rides (or rather, wears) is the famous Pakaran-kun.
 * Hanzō Hattori - The leader of the Iga Shinobu-gun. He was given his name apparently due to being half-yin and yang. He never takes off his shinobi shōzoku in order to hide his appearance.
 * Shishido Baiken - A Kusarigama master. On his head is a perch carved from a plum tree. He puffs his back instead of his cheeks when blowing purple smoke.
 * Goemon Ishikawa and Oyabun Gama - An outlaw who loves cleanliness and his fire-breathing toad. He spends 16 hours a day in the bath and spends the remaining eight hours sleeping. Therefore, all transportation is dependent on Gama.

In contrast to the first game's more fast-paced score, Keio Flying Squadron 2's soundtrack, composed by Tawada, had an exciting yet relaxing tone that was coordinated with the onscreen characters' animations, with the platformer stages having patterns that ranged from sounding Sonic the Hedgehog-esque to Disney-esque. The musical instruments, which included koto, shamisen, percussion instruments and drums, were recorded using the Yamaha SY99.

The game features animated cutscenes produced by Studio Pierrot, who also produced the cutscenes in the first game. The Japanese voices were recorded and directed by Susumu Aketagawa at Magic Capsule and Avaco Creative Studio. In the first game, Rami was the only character with spoken dialogue during gameplay, but this time the enemies and bosses also had dialogue. In response to overwhelming requests, Miho Kanno, who was appearing in advertisements for the Victor V-Saturn (she owned a V-Saturn at the time, as well as a copy of the first game ) and releasing singles under Victor's music label at the time, reprised her role as Rami, reuniting with Jōji Yanami and Keiko Yamamoto, who reprised their roles as Dr. Pon and Grandma, respectively. According to Kanno, when she heard about the game, she felt a sense of parental affection because Rami was warmly accepted and loved by everyone at the time, and she considered her a character close to her hometown of Saitama Prefecture. Producer Toshiyuki Nagai took care to create an atmosphere in the recording booth so that she could enjoy her sessions. Yanami also replaced Yusaku Yara as the voice of Grandpa. Mika Kanai provided the voice of Himiko and replaced Akiko Hiramatsu as the voice of Spot. Additional voices were provided by Yamamoto, Kae Araki, Keiji Fujiwara, Nobuo Tobita, Wataru Takagi, Dai Sasahara and Hikiko Takemasa. Tawada created Daidarabotchi's (the game's final boss) voice and sound effects by recording Fujiwara's voice and applying various effects to it, such as pitch-shifting it down, and used a sample of his own burp from a sound effects library for Musashi Sakaimari's burping and vomiting. He was immersed in a lot of the voice clips in the Digital Audio Tape that he was using, though he only used about three-fifths of what he sampled. At one point he happened to use the wrong sampling rate for the 3-meter Alien's voice, resulting in the voice being sped up when it was imported into the game. Endo found this interesting, so he added subtitles for players to understand what the Alien was saying. At first, Tawada planned to use the Saturn's built-in sound engine for everything, including the music, but the voice clips took up a lot of memory space on the disc. He tried playing around with it, but he just could not get the sound that he was satisfied with, so he decided to use Compact Disc Digital Audio instead, trying to do so in a way that would not be noticeable even if the music looped. The English translation and voice recording was done at Watanabe-Robins & Associates and Music Annex, with the voices provided by Samantha Paris, Roger L. Jackson, Elaine A. Clark, Toby Gleason and Don Robins. Clark performed several different characters in the game, including Himiko, Hannya, Otafuku, the 3-meter Alien and Yoshiko Oroshiya.

Release
Keio Flying Squadron 2 was released on May 17, 1996 for the Sega Saturn in Japan, and in Europe and Australia in September later that year. It was originally set for release in March of that year.

Keiō Yūgekitai: Okiraku Tamatebako was a "not for resale" Sega Saturn disc only available in Japan in 1996. The disc contains higher quality versions of both the opening and ending FMV cutscenes of the first game, two cutscenes related to the second game, demo levels from the second game, a sound test including voice clips for Rami, Spot, Dr. Pon and Himiko, a showcase of the aforementioned scrapped Martial Arts Tournament participants, and an art gallery available both in-game and separately, being accessible on the CD via a personal computer.

Reception
Upon release, Keio Flying Squadron 2 received a mixed reception. While many praised its visuals and soundtrack, the controls were a common point of criticism. The Saturn was also facing stiff competition from the PlayStation and Nintendo 64, which may have overshadowed the game's release.

Sam Hickman wrote in Sega Saturn Magazine that the game has very generic and overly easy gameplay, but is still somewhat fun to play, largely due to the intriguingly strange graphics. However, she concluded that most people would not find it worth the retail price, and scored it a 78%. In 1998, Saturn Power rated the game 88th on their Top 100 Sega Saturn Games, summarizing, "A bizarre Japanese platform game that, somehow, manages to impress all that come into contact with it. The graphics are fairly primitive, but the gameplay’s excellent." Michael Townsend of Retro Replay stated, "While Keio Flying Squadron 2 dazzles with its graphics and catchy tunes, the clunky controls were a deal-breaker for me. It's a shame because the game has so much personality, but when the gameplay doesn't match up, it's hard to fully enjoy the experience."